Economic analysis of energy production from coal/biomass upgrading; Part 1: Hydrogen production

Hydrogen production by steam-gasification is an interesting method compared to other common methods which has a wide range of applications including Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells and gas engines. The current research was aimed to provide a detailed economic study on gasification of biomass and coal for syngas and hydrogen production using the Aspen Plus software. The effect of plant size on hydrogen selling price was evaluated from biomass, coal, and biomass-coal gasification. With the plant size increasing from 200 tonnes/day to 400 tonnes/day, the hydrogen selling price decreased sharply from 11.5 to 9.1 $/m³ for biomass, from 10.4 to 8.2 $/m³ for coal, and from 10.1 to 7.7 $/m³ which means that the particle size has a key role in the process, and operation in larger plants is more affordable.     

Process simulation and techno-economic assessment of SER steam gasification for hydrogen production

In the SER (sorption enhanced reforming) gasification process a nitrogen-free, high calorific product gas can be produced. In addition, due to low gasification temperatures of 600–750 °C and the use of limestone as bed material, in-situ CO₂ capture is possible, leading to a hydrogen-rich and carbon-lean product gas. In this paper, results from a bubbling fluidised bed gasification model are compared to results of process demonstration tests in a 200 kW_th pilot plant.Based upon that, a concept for the hydrogen production via biomass SER gasification is studied in terms of efficiency and feasibility. Capital and operational expenditures as well as hydrogen production costs are calculated in a techno-economic assessment study. Furthermore, market framework conditions are discussed under which an economic hydrogen production via SER gasification is possible.     

Technoeconomic assessment of ethanol production via thermochemical conversion of biomass by entrained flow gasification

The production of ethanol via entrained flow gasification of biomass and subsequent catalytic synthesis is economically assessed by considering current and future scenarios. In the current scenarios, the process plants proposed only make use of available technologies and state-of-the-art mixed alcohol catalysts (Rh-Mn/SiO₂ and KCoMoS₂ catalysts). In the future scenarios, the effects of improvements in MoS₂ catalyst performance and the availability of pressurized solid biomass feeding systems are assessed. A plant size of 2140 dry tonnes/day of wood chip (500 MW_th) is considered with the criteria of being energy self-sufficient. The economic results are discussed and also compared with state-of-the-art production of biochemical lignocellulosic ethanol.The results reveal that although the Rhodium catalyst presents better performance than MoS₂ catalysts in terms of selectivity to ethanol, the high price of the Rhodium catalyst leads to higher production costs. For current catalysts, the minimum ethanol selling price (including 10% rate of return) is in the range of 0.90-1.25 $/L. In a future scenario, expected improvements in MoS₂ catalyst performance would lead to a decrease in price to 0.71 $/L. Besides, if biomass piston feeders were commercially available, as an alternative for flash pyrolysis pre-treatment, the minimum ethanol selling price would decrease to 0.55 $/L.     

Sustainable hydrogen production options from food wastes

In this study, two thermochemical processes, namely steam gasification and supercritical water gasification (SCWG), were comparatively studied to produce hydrogen from food wastes containing about 90% water. The SCWG experiments were performed at 400 and 450 °C in presence of catalyst (Trona, K₂CO₃ and seaweed ash). The maximum hydrogen yield was obtained at 450 °C in presence of K₂CO₃ catalyst. In second process, hydrothermal carbonization was used to convert food wastes into a high-quality solid fuel (hydrochar) that was further gasified in a dual-bed reactor in presence of steam. The steam gasification of hydrochar was carried out with and without catalysts (iron?ceria catalyst and dolomite). The maximum hydrogen yield obtained from steam gasification process was 28.08 mmol/g dry waste, about 7.7 times of that from SCWG. This study proposed a new concept for hydrogen production from wet biomass, combination of hydrothermal carbonization following steam gasification.     

A comparative analysis of hydrogen production from the thermochemical conversion of algal biomass

Gasification has the potential to convert biomass into gaseous mixtures that can be used for hydrogen production. Thermal gasification and supercritical water gasification are commonly used thermochemical methods for conversion of biomass to hydrogen. Supercritical water gasification handles wet biomass, thus eliminating the capital cost-intensive drying step. Thermal gasification is considered as an alternative means of producing hydrogen from microalgae where biomass has to be dried before gasification. The authors developed techno-economic models for assessment of the production of hydrogen through supercritical gasification and thermal gasification processes. Techno-economic assessment was based on developed process models. Equipment was sized and costs were estimated using the developed process models, and the product value was determined assuming 20 years of plant life. The economic assessment of supercritical water and thermal gasification show that 2000 dry tonnes/day plant requires total capital investments of 277.8 M$ and 215.3 M$ for hydrogen product values of $4.59 ± 0.10/kg and $5.66 ± 0.10/kg, respectively. The relatively higher yield obtained in supercritical water gasification compared to thermal gasification results in lower product value of hydrogen for supercritical water gasification, thereby making it more desirable. This cost of hydrogen is about 4 times the cost of hydrogen from natural gas. The sensitivity analysis indicates that biomass cost and yield are the most sensitive parameters in the economics of the supercritical or thermal gasification process; this signifies the importance of algal biomass availability. The techno-economic assessment helps to identify options for the production of hydrogen fuel through these novel technologies.     

A techno-economic review of biomass gasification for production of chemicals

Gasification is a thermochemical process which can be used as a low-emission and highly efficient method to produce syngas and chemicals such as biomethanol and dimethyl ether (DME). In this paper, a review of technologies and methods for economic production of chemicals through gasification of biomass and other fuels has been carried out. A variety of techno-economic studies and analysis have been proposed in order to better understand the technical and economic assessments during the biomass gasification. Results showed that the methanol production cost for biomass (wood) is from 195 to 935 €/t, for waste residues is from 200 to 930 €/t, for coal is from 160 to 480 €/t, and for natural gas is from 90 to 290 €/t. It also concluded that fuel (wood) cost has positive linear relationship with ethanol production cost, meaning as the feedstock cost increases from 30 to 50 $/day-ton, the ethanol production cost enhances from 1.66 to 1.95 $/gal.     

Economic analysis of methanol production from coal/biomass upgrading

Due to environmental considerations and economic crisis, more attention has been paid to produce methanol from biomass. In this paper, to simulate the methanol production from air-steam gasification of coal, biomass, and coal-biomass, an aspen plus model of gasification process has been proposed. Here, due to lack of kinetic data required for simulation of rate of reactions, an equilibrium model was used based on Gibbs free energy minimization. With plant size increasing from 200 to 400 tonnes/day, methanol selling price decreased from 13.6 to 12.5 $/gal for biomass, from 12.8 to 11.3 for coal, and from 13.1 to 11.9 $/gal for biomass-coal (50:50, w%:w%), which means that larger plant is more affordable for the production of methanol. As a result, methanol production from coal gasification was more affordable compared to biomass and biomass-coal.     

Life cycle assessment of hydrogen production from biomass gasification systems

In this study, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of biomass-based hydrogen production is performed for a period from biomass production to the use of the produced hydrogen in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell vehicles. The system considered is divided into three subsections as pre-treatment of biomass, hydrogen production plant and usage of hydrogen produced. Two different gasification systems, a Downdraft Gasifier (DG) and a Circulating Fluidized Bed Gasifier (CFBG), are considered and analyzed for hydrogen production using actual data taken from the literature. Fossil energy consumption rate and Green House Gas Emissions (GHG) are defined and indicated first. Next, the LCA results of DG and CFBG systems are compared for 1 MJ/s hydrogen production to compare with each other as well as with other hydrogen production systems. While the fossil energy consumption rate and emissions are calculated as 0.088 MJ/s and 6.27 CO₂ eqv. g/s in the DG system, they are 0.175 MJ/s and 17.13 CO₂ eqv. g/s in the CFBG system, respectively. The Coefficient of Hydrogen Production Performance (CHPP) (newly defined as a ratio of energy content of hydrogen produced from the system to the total energy content of fossil fuels used) of the CFBG and DG systems are then determined to be 5.71 and 11.36, respectively. Thus, the effects of some parameters, such as energy efficiency, ratio of cost of hydrogen, on natural gas and capital investments efficiency are investigated. Finally, the costs of GHG emissions reduction are calculated to be 0.0172 and 0.24 $/g for the DG and CFBG systems, respectively.     

Life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions of feedlot manure management practices: Land application versus gasification

Animal waste is an important source of anthropogenic GHG emissions, and in most cases, manure is managed by land application. Nevertheless, due to the huge amounts of manure produced annually, alternative manure management practices have been proposed, one of which is gasification, aimed to convert manure into clean energy-syngas. Syngas can be utilized to provide energy or power. At the same time, the byproduct of gasification, biochar, can be transported back to fields as a soil amendment. Environmental impacts are crucial in selecting the appropriate manure strategy. Therefore, GHG emissions during manure management systems (land application and gasification) were evaluated and compared by life cycle assessment (LCA) in our study. LCA is a universally accepted tool to determine GHG emissions associated with every stage of a system. Results showed that the net GHG emissions in land application scenario and gasification scenario were 119 and -643 kg CO₂-eq for one tonne of dry feedlot manure, respectively. Moreover, sensitive factors in the gasification scenario were efficiency of the biomass integrated gasification combined cycle (BIGCC) system and energy source of avoided electricity generation. Overall, due to the environmental effects of syngas and biochar, gasification of feedlot manure is a much more promising technique as a way to reduce GHG emissions than is land application.     

Hydrogen-rich gas production from biomass air and oxygen/steam gasification in a downdraft gasifier

Biomass gasification is an important method to obtain renewable hydrogen. However, this technology still stagnates in a laboratory scale because of its high-energy consumption. In order to get maximum hydrogen yield and decrease energy consumption, this study applies a self-heated downdraft gasifier as the reactor and uses char as the catalyst to study the characteristics of hydrogen production from biomass gasification. Air and oxygen/steam are utilized as the gasifying agents. The experimental results indicate that compared to biomass air gasification, biomass oxygen/steam gasification improves hydrogen yield depending on the volume of downdraft gasifier, and also nearly doubles the heating value of fuel gas. The maximum lower heating value of fuel gas reaches 11.11 MJ/N m³ for biomass oxygen/steam gasification. Over the ranges of operating conditions examined, the maximum hydrogen yield reaches 45.16 g H₂/kg biomass. For biomass oxygen/steam gasification, the content of H₂ and CO reaches 63.27–72.56%, while the content of H₂ and CO gets to 52.19–63.31% for biomass air gasification. The ratio of H₂/CO for biomass oxygen/steam gasification reaches 0.70–0.90, which is lower than that of biomass air gasification, 1.06–1.27. The experimental and comparison results prove that biomass oxygen/steam gasification in a downdraft gasifier is an effective, relatively low energy consumption technology for hydrogen-rich gas production.     

Syngas production from biomass gasification in China: A clean strategy for sustainable development

Biomass gasification, which can be categorized as a set of relatively clean processes, is a good option for hydrogen production. The main purpose of the present work was to focus on the use of natural olivine as a bed material to minimize the tar content and enhance the hydrogen yield. The catalytic gasification tests were carried out in a fluidized bed gasifier using steam as the fluidizing medium. Hydrogen yield slightly increased from 51.9 to 53.1 g/kg biomass, as biomass particle size (BP) decreased from 5.0 to 2.0 mm. The yield of tar also decreased from 0.15 to 0.07 g/Nm³ with BP decreasing from 5.0 to 2.0 mm. With an increase in the catalyst-to-biomass ratio (C/B) from 0.2 to 0.8, HY increased from 47.8 to 51.9 g/kg biomass and tar content (TC) decreased from 0.8 to 0.15 g/Nm³. Temperature and steam/biomass ratio (S/B) were also affected the syngas composition and HY, significantly.     

Investigation of the interaction between intermediates from gasification of biomass in supercritical water: Formaldehyde/formic acid mixtures

Supercritical water gasification (SCWG) is a promising technology for converting wet biomass and waste into renewable energy. While the fundamental mechanism involved in SCWG of biomass is not completely understood, especially hydrogen (H₂) production produced from the interaction among key intermediates. In the present study, formaldehyde mixed with formic acid as model intermediates were tested in a batch reactor at 400 °C and 25 MPa for 30 min. The gas and liquid phases were collected and analyzed to determine a possible mechanism for H₂ production. Results clearly showed that both gasification efficiency (GE) and hydrogen efficiency (HE) increased with addition of formic acid, and the maximum H₂ yield reached 17.92 mol/kg with a relative formic acid content of 66.67% in the mixtures. The total organic carbon removal rate and formaldehyde conversion rate also increased to 67.33% and 89.81% respectively. The reaction pathways for H₂ formation form mixtures was proposed and evaluated, formic acid promoted self-decomposition of formaldehyde to generate H₂, and induced a radical reaction of generated methanol to produce more H₂.     

Design and comparisons of three biomass based hydrogen generation systems with chemical looping process

The technology of hydrogen generation from biomass has attracted more and more attentions nowadays. In this work, three biomass-based chemical looping hydrogen generation systems, Systems A, B and C, are comprehensively studied. System A is mainly composed of biomass hydrogasification, methane reformation and the calcium-looping based CO₂ absorption. System B is mainly composed of biomass steam gasification and Fe₂O₃/FeO-looping based hydrogen generation circulation. System C is mainly composed of biomass steam gasification and Fe₃O₄/FeO-looping based hydrogen generation circulation. The three systems are modeled and their characteristics are analyzed and compared thermodynamically. System A has the highest cold gas efficiency (CGE) which is 72%; System B has the lowest CGE of 54% but it can generate additional nitrogen as byproduct; System C has the highest hydrogen generation ratio and its CGE is moderate and is 60%. The carbon dioxide sequestration rates of the three systems are all above 90%.     

Air-blown biomass gasification combined cycles (BGCC): System analysis and economic assessment

Within the carbon constrained world, biomass-based power production is expected to constitute one of the candidates for CO₂ abatement. However, within the framework of a liberalised energy market, biomass power systems must be competitive from efficiency and cost point of view for their successful commercial breakthrough. Integrated gasification combined cycles (IGCC) based on pressurised biomass gasification, coupled with economical acceptable hot gas clean-up systems, are one of the most promising options. In this study, a technical and economic assessment is carried out of alternative power plant concepts with the aid of computer simulation tools. Various gas turbine plant sizes are considered ranging from 10 to 70 MW_e and their performance is evaluated. Apart from stand-alone power systems, the study is complemented with cases linked with a coal-fired power plant by parallel integration of a gas turbine with the existing steam cycle.     

Hydrogen from Various Biomass Species via Pyrolysis and Steam Gasification Processes

The aim of this study was to assess the scientific and engineering advancements of producing hydrogen from biomass via two thermochemical processes: (a) conventional pyrolysis followed by reforming of the carbohydrate fraction of the bio-oil and (b) gasification followed by reforming of the syngas (H₂ + CO). The yield from steam gasification increases with increasing water-to-sample ratio. The yields of hydrogen from the pyrolysis and the steam gasification increase with increasing of temperature. In general, the gasification temperature is higher than that of pyrolysis and the yield of hydrogen from the gasification is higher than that of the pyrolysis. The highest yields (% dry and ash free basis) were obtained from the pyrolysis (46%) and steam gasification (55%) of wheat straw while the lowest yields from olive waste. The yield of hydrogen from supercritical water extraction was considerably high (49%) at lower temperatures. The pyrolysis was carried out at the moderate temperatures and steam gasification at the highest temperatures. This study demonstrates that hydrogen can be produced economically from biomass. The pyrolysis-based technology, in particular, because it has coproduct opportunities, has the most favorable economics.     

Techno-economic analysis of a bio-refinery process for producing Hydro-processed Renewable Jet fuel from Jatropha

HRJ (Hydro-processed Renewable Jet) conversion technology has been recently used to produce renewable jet fuel for commercial or military flights. In this study, a techno-economic analysis is carried out for evaluating the production of jatropha-derived HRJ fuel through a bio-refinery process. Each component of the chosen feedstock jatropha can be converted into valuable products. The bio-refinery process is split into 6 parts: (1) Fruit Dehulling; (2) Shell Combustion; (3) Oil Extraction; (4) Press Cake Pyrolysis; (5) Oil Upgrading; (6) Product Separation. The minimum jet fuel selling price (MJSP) from this fruit scenario is calculated to be $5.42/gal based on the plant capacity of 2400 metric tonne of feedstock per day. The co-products obtained from the process not only significantly deduct the production cost but make the entire process energy self-sustainable. We also discuss the oil scenario, which oil is the starting material and the process begins from Oil Upgrading section. The oil scenario offers the MJSP of $5.74/gal with lower capital but higher operating costs. The differences of MJSPs for fruit and oil scenarios are due to feedstock cost, refinery capital cost, co-product credits and energy cost. Based on the sensitivity analysis, the feedstock price, oil content, plant capacity, reactor construction and catalyst usage are important parameters that control the price of the produced fuel.     

Comparison of thermochemical conversion processes of biomass to hydrogen-rich gas mixtures

Hydrogen can be produced from biomass materials via thermochemical conversion processes such as pyrolysis, gasification, steam gasification, steam-reforming, and supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of biomass. In general, the total hydrogen-rich gaseous products increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature for the biomass sample. The aim of gasification is to obtain a synthesis gas (bio-syngas) including mainly H₂ and CO. Steam reforming is a method of producing hydrogen-rich gas from biomass. Hydrothermal gasification in supercritical water medium has become a promising technique to produce hydrogen from biomass with high efficiency. Hydrogen production by biomass gasification in the supercritical water (SCW) is a promising technology for utilizing wet biomass. The effect of initial moisture content of biomass on the yields of hydrogen is good.     

Kinetics of CO2 gasification of biomass char in granulated blast furnace slag

The CO₂ gasification reactions of biomass char in granulated BFS (blast furnace slag) were isothermally investigated using a thermogravimetric analyzer with the temperature ranging from 1173 K to 1323 K. The effects of temperature, biomass type and granulated BFS on the kinetic characterizations of CO₂ gasification of biomass char were illuminated. The kinetic mechanism models and parameters were obtained through a novel two-step calculation method. The results indicated that the CO₂ gasification reactivity of biomass char as conversion and gasification index increased with the increase of temperature and it could be promoted through granulated BFS. The CO₂ gasification reactivity of CS (cornstalk) char with lower alkali index was lower than that of PS (peanut shell) char. The A₄ model (Avrami-Erofeev (m = 4) model) and A₃ model (Avrami-Erofeev (m = 3) model) were demonstrated as the best appropriate models for CO₂ gasification of CS char and PS char, respectively. The gasification activation energy of CS char ranging from 155.08 to 160.48 kJ/mol was higher than that of PS char whether with or without granulated BFS. Granulated BFS could decrease the activation energy of CO₂ gasification of char at any biomass type.     

Systems analysis of integrating biomass gasification with pulp and paper production - Effects on economic performance, CO2 emissions and energy use

This paper evaluates system aspects of biorefineries based on biomass gasification integrated with pulp and paper production. As a case the Billerud Karlsborg mill is used. Two biomass gasification concepts are considered: BIGDME (biomass integrated gasification dimethyl ether production) and BIGCC (biomass integrated gasification combined cycle). The systems analysis is made with respect to economic performance, global CO₂ emissions and primary energy use. As reference cases, BIGDME and BIGCC integrated with district heating are considered. Biomass gasification is shown to be potentially profitable for the mill. The results are highly dependent on assumed energy market parameters, particularly policy support. With strong policies promoting biofuels or renewable electricity, the calculated opportunity to invest in a gasification-based biorefinery exceeds investment cost estimates from the literature. When integrated with district heating the BIGDME case performs better than the BIGCC case, which shows high sensitivity to heat price and annual operating time. The BIGCC cases show potential to contribute to decreased global CO₂ emissions and energy use, which the BIGDME cases do not, mainly due to high biomass demand. As biomass is a limited resource, increased biomass use due to investments in gasification plants will lead to increased use of fossil fuels elsewhere in the system.